Oftentimes there is more to a city than meets the eye. For Singapore, perceptions of "strict rules" and extreme cleanliness often override the other bustling scenes (especially in youth culture) that already exist there. Streetwear hub Dover Street Market, for example, opened doors to their Singapore location just last July bringing brands like COMME des GARÇONS. Balenciaga, Gucci, Sacai, Celine, NikeLab DSM SGP and others to the Southeast Asian island country. They tapped Ryan O’Toole Collett to photograph the store unveiling, but also inquired if he could capture a not-so-common view of the city-state. The result? A photobook documenting a unique clique of like-minded youth.

Meet the Youths in Balaclava: a collective crew of young creatives (including designers, musicians, a scientist, an accountant and even one doing military service) aiming to bring an innovative spin to the street culture scene. Through music, art and fashion, the multi-talented group embraces individuality and creates wearables representative of their eclectic nature. Collett captured the crew on camera and created a book that will be on sale starting January 13th for $39 USD at DSM's Singapore location in addition to a celebratory T-shirt ($75 USD) by the YIM team and curated installation. Familiarize yourself with the youths below and cop their merch online if you can't make it to the launch event!

Words: Vanessa Feder